WASHINGTON (AP) — Chief Justice John Roberts issued a defense Tuesday of judicial independence, which he said is under threat from intimidation, disinformation and the prospect of public officials defying court orders.
Roberts laid out his concerns in his annual report on the federal judiciary. It was released after a year where the nation's court system was unusually enmeshed in a closely fought presidential race, with then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump assailing the integrity of judges who ruled against him as he faced criminal charges for which he denied wrongdoing.
Trump won the race following a landmark Supreme Court immunity decision penned by Roberts that, along with another high court decision halting efforts to disqualify him from the ballot, removed obstacles to his election.
The immunity decision was criticized by Democrats like President Joe Biden, who later called for term limits and an enforceable ethics code following criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors to some justices.
Roberts, for his part, introduced his letter by recounting a story about King George III stripping colonial judges of lifetime appointments, an order that was “not well received.”
Trump is now readying for a second term as president with an ambitious conservative agenda, elements of which are likely to be legally challenged and end up before the court whose conservative majority includes three justices appointed by Trump during his first term.
Roberts and Trump clashed in 2018 when the chief justice rebuked the president for denouncing a judge who rejected his migrant asylum policy as an “Obama judge.”
In 2020, Roberts criticized comments made by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer while the Supreme Court was considering a high-profile abortion case.
Roberts didn't mention Trump, Biden or any other specific leader in this year's annual report. Instead, he wrote generally that even if court decisions are unpopular or mark a defeat for a presidential administration, other branches of government must be willing to enforce them to ensure the rule of law.
He pointed to the Brown v. Board of Education decision that desegregated schools in 1954 as one that needed federal enforcement in the face of resistance from southern governors.
“It is not in the nature of judicial work to make everyone happy,” he wrote.
The chief justice also decried elected officials across the political spectrum who have “raised the specter of open disregard for federal court rulings.”
“Attempts to intimidate judges for their rulings in cases are inappropriate and should be vigorously opposed,” he wrote.
While public officials and others have the right to criticize rulings, they should also be aware that their statements can “prompt dangerous reactions by others.”
Threats targeting federal judges have more than tripled over the last decade, according to U.S. Marshals Service statistics. State court judges in Wisconsin and Maryland were killed at their homes in 2022 and 2023, Roberts wrote.
“Violence, intimidation, and defiance directed at judges because of their work undermine our Republic, and are wholly unacceptable,” he wrote.
Roberts also pointed to disinformation about court rulings as a threat to judges’ independence, saying that social media can magnify distortions and even be exploited by “hostile foreign state actors” to exacerbate divisions.
Against a backdrop of those heightened divisions, Americans’ confidence in the country’s judicial system and courts has dropped to a record low of 35%, a Gallup poll found.
FILE - The Supreme Court is pictured, Oct. 7, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Seth Jarvis scored with 18.6 seconds remaining and the Carolina Hurricanes won their third consecutive game by defeating the Boston Bruins 3-2 on Thursday night.
Sebastian Aho and Brent Burns also scored for the Hurricanes, whose last three victories have each come by one goal. Pyotr Kochetkov made 32 saves.
Morgan Geekie scored both goals for the Bruins, who have lost three straight. Joonas Korpisalo made 20 saves.
Jarvis' winning goal was a reprieve for the Hurricanes, who had a potential go-ahead goal with 1:15 wiped out by video review because of an offsides call.
Bruins: The Bruins racked up a variety of scoring opportunities, but didn’t convert often enough. Boston used a lineup that included call-ups Patrick Brown, Ian Mitchell, Riley Tufte and Vinni Lettieri from Providence of the AHL, with a total of 17 NHL games played this season entering the night.
Hurricanes: Jarvis — whose 24 goals tie Aho for the team lead — had his second in seven games. It was far from smooth for Carolina, which had 11 fewer shots than Boston. That was the team’s largest shot deficit in a game since November.
Kochetkov stopped Boston scoring leader David Pastrnak, who was alone in front, on a point-blank save in the second period when the Bruins appeared poised to seize momentum.
The Bruins, who had only 21 shots on goal in Tuesday’s home loss to Nashville, held a 23-12 edge in shots less than 14 minutes into the second period as they were setting the tone.
Boston goes to Tampa Bay on Saturday. The Hurricanes are home Sunday vs. Winnipeg.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Boston Bruins' Mark Kastelic (47) has his shot go wide of Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov (52) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Carolina Hurricanes' Taylor Hall (71) battles Boston Bruins' Parker Wotherspoon (29) for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Boston Bruins' Pavel Zacha (18) controls the puck and skates around Carolina Hurricanes' Jaccob Slavin (74) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Carolina Hurricanes' Mikko Rantanen (96) concentrates on the puck as Boston Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (70) looks on during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Boston Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (70) clears the puck away from Carolina Hurricanes' Eric Robinson (50) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Carolina Hurricanes' Jordan Staal (11) battles for the puck with Boston Bruins' Charlie Coyle (13) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Carolina Hurricanes' Andrei Svechnikov (37) has his shot poked away by Boston Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (70) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Boston Bruins' Morgan Geekie, center, celebrates after his goal with teammates during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Carolina Hurricanes' Brent Burns (8) celebrates his goal with teammate Taylor Hall (71) as Boston Bruins' Cole Koepke (45) skates away during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Carolina Hurricanes' Seth Jarvis (24) loses control of the puck to Boston Bruins' Charlie Coyle (13) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Carolina Hurricanes celebrate after a goal by Seth Jarvis during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
Carolina Hurricanes' Seth Jarvis (24) celebrates his game winning goal against the Boston Bruins during the third period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, March 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Karl DeBlaker)
